East Madeira: Pico Areeiro, Levada Walk & Rum Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.74 (117 reviews) 81% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pickLikely to sell out

1/13

Duration7h

GroupUp to 30

LanguagesEN · PT +2

PickupAt your hotel

Three Peaks and a Levada: What the East Coast Shows You in One Day

You're picked up from your Funchal hotel and driven to Pico do Areeiro, then through Ribeiro Frio (where you can hike the Levada or explore the trout nursery), Guindaste viewpoint, Santana's traditional houses, and Porto da Cruz for rum tasting at North Mills Distillery. The day ends at Ponta do Rosto on the easternmost peninsula. Your certified guide handles all the driving and knows where to stop; you just show up and follow along.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Eastern Madeira highlights

Visit Pico do Areeiro viewpoint
Lunch break and Levada walk at Ribeiro Frio
Explore trout nursery at Ribeiro Frio
Admire views at Guindaste viewpoint
Visit Santana village and thatched houses
Stop at Porto da Cruz and taste rum
End at Ponta do Rosto viewpoint

The Experience

You want to see the real Madeira — not just the postcard version — but you're only here for a few days and don't have a car. That's the feeling that makes this tour click. The day starts early at Pico do Areeiro, the island's third-highest peak at 1,818 meters, where the air clears and you can see the whole northeast coast spread out below you. Your certified guide handles the driving and timing, which means you're not squinting at a map or negotiating a mountain road you've never driven before. The pickup happens in the Funchal area, so you're collected from your hotel and brought back without the logistics.

The heart of the day is Ribeiro Frio, where you get a full 1.5 hours to choose your own pace. There's a 30–40 minute Levada walk that cuts through the forest to a viewpoint — it's optional, and if you want to do it you'll need to book the entrance fee separately (5.50€ per person) and let the office know in advance so they can send you the details. If walking isn't your thing, the trout nursery sits right there in the same lush valley, or you can grab lunch at one of the local restaurants and just sit with a coffee. Your guide can point you toward the best spots. After that, you stop at Guindaste viewpoint in Faial for the panoramic views, then roll into Santana for 20 minutes to see the iconic triangular thatched houses — the ones that look like they belong in a fairy tale but are actually the traditional architecture of the island.

Porto da Cruz comes next, a small seaside village where the North Mills Distillery sits waiting. You get 20–30 minutes there, which is enough to walk through the rum producer — one of the oldest on Madeira — and taste the sugarcane rum they've been making for generations. It's a real working distillery, not a museum, so you're tasting something that's actually made there. The tour ends at Ponta do Rosto, the easternmost point on the peninsula, where the views open up to both coasts and on a clear day you can see Porto Santo Island in the distance. It's the kind of viewpoint that makes you understand why people come back to Madeira.

The whole thing runs as a guided tour, which means you're not figuring out where to park or how long to spend at each stop — the guide knows the rhythm and the timing. Groups stay small enough that you're not herded through like a school trip. If you've got kids, there are specialized infant seats available and strollers work fine on the main stops. The tour suits all fitness levels, though the Levada walk is optional and the other stops are short walks or viewpoints where you can take your time.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup in the Funchal area, a certified guide for the full tour, all insurance, and entry to the North Mills Distillery with a rum tasting.
The Levada walk entrance fee (5.50€ per person) and meals are not included, but you have time to eat at Ribeiro Frio and the guide can suggest restaurants.
Specialized infant seats are available if you're traveling with small children.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcome

Operated by bearded madeira tours & walks

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see the east coast's main viewpoints and cultural stops in one day without arranging transport or timing yourself — the certified guide and fixed itinerary take that off your hands, and the 1.5-hour break at Ribeiro Frio lets you choose whether to hike the Levada or just rest.